NevadaBill
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since January 2019
Posts: 1,332
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Post by NevadaBill on Sept 26, 2019 10:05:09 GMT -5
Good day,
Does anyone know what type of scouring pad would be proper for the 8" grinder? Currently there is some thick version of a scouring pad installed. And seems to do the job pretty well.
One of them wore down over use, and when I replaced it with your typical 3M scouring pad (about 1/2 as thick), I was surprised to see that the diamond wheel ate through it after only a few hours use.
Which makes me think I am doing it wrong. Maybe the pad was pressing too hard on the wheel perhaps. Anyway, there was some overhang on one side, and that piece got serrated right off, at the end of the wheel.
Any ideas would be great.
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zarguy
fully equipped rock polisher
Cedar City, Utah - rockhound heaven!
Member since December 2005
Posts: 1,791
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Post by zarguy on Sept 26, 2019 10:51:10 GMT -5
I use Karate belts I buy at the thrift store. For wide wheels such as the expandos, I glue two pieces together. Lynn
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Post by manofglass on Sept 26, 2019 21:43:05 GMT -5
Looks like the green pads used to clean ceramic Clay
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vwfence
has rocks in the head
Member since January 2013
Posts: 557
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Post by vwfence on Sept 28, 2019 10:23:11 GMT -5
I buy rolls of cheap web belt material on ebay and back it with a piece of plastic like an old credit card or something similar so that the pressure can e varied
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NevadaBill
fully equipped rock polisher
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Post by NevadaBill on Sept 30, 2019 12:11:28 GMT -5
I use Karate belts I buy at the thrift store. For wide wheels such as the expandos, I glue two pieces together. Lynn Sorry Lynn, I had forgotten all about this thread, even though I have a problem on my hands (has eaten completely through a regular thick 3M scouring pad in only like 5 hours of work).
I will have to give this a go. Thinking creatively is probably the way to go on this. Thank you.
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NevadaBill
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since January 2019
Posts: 1,332
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Post by NevadaBill on Sept 30, 2019 12:14:40 GMT -5
Looks like the green pads used to clean ceramic Clay Ceramic clay, eh? I am looking up the cleaning pads for clay now on Clay-King. I don't know. I am not seeing any thick ones.
You know, the ones that were already on the machine are at least twice as thick as the regular scouring pads. And they've been on there for months without showing wear too much really.
Going to keep looking. Thank you for the suggestion!
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NevadaBill
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since January 2019
Posts: 1,332
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Post by NevadaBill on Sept 30, 2019 12:17:40 GMT -5
I buy rolls of cheap web belt material on ebay and back it with a piece of plastic like an old credit card or something similar so that the pressure can e varied I like this idea too. Just buy one that is 2 inches wide, or 3 inches if you can get it. And they you have enough to swap out belts for at least a year if you cut them in to 6 or 8 inch long pieces. This is thinking outside the box too.
Thank you!
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NevadaBill
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since January 2019
Posts: 1,332
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Post by NevadaBill on Sept 30, 2019 12:21:03 GMT -5
Idea #1 - You know what also work is a tow stray (recovery strap). Those tend to be real thick and are made of tough materials, and come in 2" or 3" sizes. Only thing is that they tend to be expensive.
Idea #2 - Also I was thinking that seat belts (kind you can get for 1.00 at a junk yard) would work too. Those are durable, and can be cut to lengths.
Hmm.
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vwfence
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Post by vwfence on Sept 30, 2019 14:25:49 GMT -5
the webbing i use is aout the thickness of seat belts and the last i got was 5 yards for less than 10 dollars including shipping . On a rock rascal i rebuilt i used a piece of felt that i had here.
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zarguy
fully equipped rock polisher
Cedar City, Utah - rockhound heaven!
Member since December 2005
Posts: 1,791
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Post by zarguy on Sept 30, 2019 17:40:11 GMT -5
Here's a pic of my wrap-around water spreaders.
These take 4 pieces of karate belt. I glue them together with contact cement (I use Weldwood brand, but there are others).
I use a temporary rubber cement (Borden's in the brown bottle) to glue them to the inside of the lip on the hood. You could also use screws. I've seen people add a cut-up soda can to make them bendable for best contact against the wheel.
The center part touches the face of the expando drum & spreads the water to the width of the wheel & minimizes the lapidary shower experience.
I have to replace them every 2 or 3 years. Lynn
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NevadaBill
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Member since January 2019
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Post by NevadaBill on Oct 2, 2019 11:38:25 GMT -5
I still haven't pulled the trigger on any belts yet. I figured I would get to the local junk yard in the next day or two if I had a chance. The web belts are a strong contender. Actually, any belt is.
Thanks for going to the trouble to share you Karate belt design Lynn. I wasn't sure how wide your grinder wheels were, but the picture makes it look like 3" expandos, which I have a couple of as well. And I wasn't sure if you sew or glued the pieces together side-by-side, or just ran them next to each other without joining them.
Your design is so neat, I bet you could run your operation out of the inside of you home if you wanted to, without getting water anywhere. Very slick!
Thanks for sharing!
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NDK
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2009
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Post by NDK on Oct 2, 2019 16:42:31 GMT -5
NevadaBillBill, I also use nylon strapping which I got from single use retainer straps when I worked in a warehouse a few years ago. It's heavy strap that was used to hold rolls of paper (think 8' high 4000# rolls) nested together so they wouldn't walk around during transport. I built my cabbing unit a few years ago and it barely shows any wear. If you'd like some PM me your address and I'll send you a length of it.
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vwfence
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Post by vwfence on Oct 10, 2019 10:39:06 GMT -5
Bill , i have also used the tie down straps from flat bed trailers which you can get from some of the drivers and some of the company terminals free . as i remember they are 30 feet long .
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isellwood
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since July 2006
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Post by isellwood on Oct 22, 2019 16:35:49 GMT -5
I have used free indoor outdoor carpet samples from Home Depo or Lowes
Pat
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NevadaBill
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since January 2019
Posts: 1,332
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Post by NevadaBill on Oct 27, 2019 13:53:22 GMT -5
Thank you all for your input. I have purchased some thick winch come along straps, which are 3 inches wide. But I have not cut the strips yet or tried to fit them to the machine. I hope to get to this some time soon (ie, make time for it). Right now, I am just trying to be OK with water spraying all over the place on that one wheel.
When I get it done, if it works out, then I will post the results here, and close this thread.
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NevadaBill
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since January 2019
Posts: 1,332
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Post by NevadaBill on Dec 19, 2019 10:53:04 GMT -5
Ok, I need to close this thread out and post my solution. Early on it was suggested Lynn, and VWFence that I use belt webbing material. I bought some, but didn't use it. The old one was completely gone though (after only 2 weeks time!), and looked like this: Something had to be done, so I bought a recovery strap (like a tree saver). It was 3 inches wide. But when I tried to slice it up, it was highly resistant to cutting. I didn't have a circular saw (Skil saw), as it was apart on the bench (replacing the power cord on it). So I just used the belt webbing material. This is seat belt material, for automotive applications: It can't be seen, but I doubled it up, just because it was easy to do so. Well, it seems like a couple months have gone by so far and I can't detect any wear on them. I would like to thank all of those who helped me come up with ideas in this thread.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Dec 19, 2019 15:25:03 GMT -5
I'd never have thunk that seat belts would have worked for this!
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zarguy
fully equipped rock polisher
Cedar City, Utah - rockhound heaven!
Member since December 2005
Posts: 1,791
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Post by zarguy on Dec 19, 2019 18:26:38 GMT -5
NevadaBill The seat belt strap in your photo looks like synthetic material. It may not soak up the water, which helps it spread it over the entire width of the wheel. If that's what's happening, try cotton webbing like the karate belt material. Lynn
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NevadaBill
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Member since January 2019
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Post by NevadaBill on Dec 20, 2019 14:27:33 GMT -5
Good point Lynn. That was the first thing I looked at, since the old scouring pads do a great job of allowing the water jet to get through to the rock. So far it seems the grinding stone is still getting plenty of water, mostly evenly. And it has not worried me just yet. Both sides of the stone are getting good lubrication it seems. And that is vital, or I will damage the grinding wheels!
[edit] So far, after about 20-30 hours, I cannot actually detect any wear on the new seat belts either.
But over time I will continue to keep my eye on this, knowing that the cotton webbing material from the karate (like) belts would be a better solution. I really appreciate your input on this one.
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